Lambamena

“Lamba” means traditional wear wrapped around the body. When humans invented woven clothes, the main purpose was to wrap their body with woven textile. Even till today, Madagascar people are still passing down such essential Malagasy culture.

Lambamena, as what we introduce here, is a fabric woven from wild silk (not sericulture silk) and dyed with natural materials by the women in the village, using very simple handloom setting on the floor.

It is common that weaving is the main work for the village women. She weaves fabric for her family, and when there are excess pieces, she will sell them at the market or exchange them for some food for her family.

Weaving Caterpillar of Wild Silk Cocoon

In Madagascar, in the face of serious environmental changes and deforestation, the habitat of moths such as wild silkworms which provides the raw materials for lambamena, is depleting yearly. Today, with women's works diversifying and the number of people engaged in weaving decreasing, the culture of lambamena, a traditional textile, continues to decline.

Therefore, to preserve this precious heritage, we will introduce the precious lambamena only in limited quantities for Gem of Asia.